Wood shakes and roof shingles are conventionally made of cedar, redwood, or cypress, all of which are decay resistant. Roof shakes often provide an aesthetically pleasing shadow effect on the roof and nicely complement shake or other natural wood siding, in part due to the upper surface topography, and in part due to the taper that is unique to handsplit and resawn and tapersplit wood shakes.
However, compared with other commercially available roofing materials, wood shakes have numerous disadvantages. For example, wood shakes are not resistant to fire and some states have passed laws and/or implemented building codes that prohibit or restrict the use of wood shakes or shingles for roofing. Also, wood shakes are prone to expansion and contraction which must be accounted for during installation, may break when subjected to heavy loads, such as falling limbs or workmen, and may become brittle and friable near the end of their useful life.
Accordingly, a shake or shingle is desired that, among other things, is relatively light weight, strong, durable and fire resistant so that it meets existing codes with regard to fire retardation and otherwise includes adequate impact resistance, and strength.